Celebrate America with singers from local schools when Detroit Public Television presents “Detroit Performs: Tim Janis’ Celebrate America Southeast Michigan” at 9 p.m. March 7.

Talented students from Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores, L’Anse Creuse High School and L’Anse Creuse High School North in Macomb County and Royal Oak High School in Oakland County join singers from more than a dozen other schools in performing selections arranged by nationally known producer and musician Tim Janis.

The songs were recorded in October at DPTV studios, said Jodi Thompson, Lakeview High School band and choir director. Students in her concert choir sing, under her direction, Janis’ arrangement of “I’ll Fly Away.”

“It was fun,” Thompson said of the in-studio recording experience and the daily rehearsals leading up to the performance. The school choirs could also sing their alma mater, but Thompson said when they couldn’t come up with the music — only the dated words to Lakeview’s song — she rewrote the music for it.

“There’s no competition,” said Simon. “Every group gets to choose one song” from among Janis’ “Celebrate America” recordings.

When the show airs at 9 p.m. Thursday, however, she and the Ensemble members won’t be watching. They’ll be heading out of town on the group’s annual trip. This time they’re heading to New York for four days where they’ll be singing and helping out at a soup kitchen, seeing a Broadway show and attending a Broadway workshop on expressiveness.

They’re counting on family and friends back home to record the show for them.

It’s the fifth season of Tim Janis’ “Celebrate America Southeast Michigan,” featuring local high school, middle school and youth choirs. Janis, who has performed with such entertainers as Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Ray Charles, has a “strong belief to celebrate and keep music education in our schools.”